When Cisco integrated our Identity Services Engine (ISE) platform with leading mobile device management (MDM) systems, it was clear from the start that we had struck a chord among IT administrators trying to wrestle with the onslaught of employee-owned mobile devices accessing their networks. First and foremost for IT organizations was gaining visibility to all mobile devices — rogue or authorized — that were present on the wireless network. Cisco ISE delivered that capability, providing IT staff with a detailed view of what types of mobile devices were on the network. Coupling that with ISE’s native BYOD enrollment capabilities or the active management capabilities of MDM platforms — as well as network intelligence from the Cisco Wireless Network — was key to gaining full control over this Wild West of mobile devices

Are we heading to a day of reckoning, where the forces of cyber crime overwhelm and erase the good things that information technology delivers? If we head down our current path of incremental, individualized approaches to cyber security, the answer is “Yes.” But I’m enough of an optimist to think that if the IT and security geeks and wonks of the world can unite, share information, work hard, and not worry about who gets the credit, we stand a fighting chance. Read More »

Dubbed “Darkleech,” thousands of Web servers across the globe running Apache 2.2.2 and above are infected with an SSHD backdoor that allows remote attackers to upload and configure malicious Apache modules. These modules are then used to turn hosted sites into attack sites, dynamically injecting iframes in real-time, only at the moment of visit.

Because the iframes are dynamically injected only when the pages are accessed, this makes discovery and remediation particularly difficult. Further, the attackers employ a sophisticated array of conditional criteria to avoid detection:

“A security advisory was just published! Should I hurry and upgrade all my Cisco devices now?”

This is a question that I am being asked by customers on a regular basis. In fact, I am also asked why there are so many security vulnerability advisories. To start with the second question: Cisco is committed to protecting customers by sharing critical security-related information in a very transparent way. Even if security vulnerabilities are found internally, the Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) – which is my team – investigates, drives to resolution, and discloses such vulnerabilities. To quickly answer the first question, don’t panic, as you may not have to immediately upgrade your device. However, in this article I will discuss some of the guidelines and best practices for responding to Cisco security vulnerability reports.

Today, many encrypted networks use insecure cryptography. Attackers exploiting weak cryptography are nearly undetectable, and the data you think is secure is less safe every day. Legacy encryption technology can’t keep up with current advances in hacking and brute force computing power. Additionally, legacy solutions are increasingly inefficient as security levels rise, and perform poorly at high data rates. In order to stay ahead of this challenge, encryption needs to evolve.

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